Moreno dismisses Andalusian Health Minister over mammogram crisis

MadridThe president of the Andalusian Government, Juanma Moreno, announced this Wednesday night the resignation of the Minister of Health and Consumption, Rocío Hernández, due to the mammography crisisIn an institutional statement, Moreno reiterated his apologies to the women affected by inconclusive breast cancer tests, who were not informed that the early detection program could give them an erroneous result. "Living with that uncertainty is not desirable for anyone, and that is why we have changed the protocol," explained the regional president, from the PP (People's Party).

Approximately 2,000 women had an inconclusive test, which has caused delays in receiving treatment for breast cancer. When this situation became known a week ago, the Ministry of Health expedited calls to all of them to schedule a new diagnosis, and Moreno assured that all incidents would be resolved by November 30th. However, the Andalusian president wanted to make it clear that the problem has not spread to the entire region or the entire province of Seville, but only to the Virgen del Rocío Hospital, and that the early detection program "saves lives." The dysfunction, she insisted, lay in the protocol, which did not require women who had inconclusive results to be informed.

"It's understandable that in such a complex [healthcare] system, there are sometimes errors, problems, and incidents. What's difficult to understand is that it was those affected who had to report the problem. There are no excuses. Perhaps others would have made them. We won't do it: let's act," she emphasized. "Audit what needs to be audited" and change "what doesn't work." Despite this scandal, Moreno wanted to convey a message of confidence in the Andalusian healthcare model.

A week later

The minister's resignation (or dismissal) comes a week after the scandal came to light, and the Prosecutor's Office even opened an investigation. In fact, Moreno Bonilla himself had ruled out dismissing Rodríguez. "The ministry isn't in favor of changes, but rather in favor of working with more enthusiasm and determination," the PP leader said last Wednesday. This morning, the leadership of the national PP closed ranks behind Moreno's handling of the crisis and did not suggest that Rodríguez was about to leave office.